I am aiming to complete this by having one post on every club with fan's views on what they are thinking ahead of the new season - all help appreciated :)

Thursday, 14 July 2011

1. Arsenal FC

Let the blogging begin.1st stop, Arsenal FC.

After a 4th place finish and yet again no silverware Arsenal fans would be forgiven for becoming impatient but they will be hoping next season will bring some glory they have really been missing.

2010-2011 season saw a lot of promise for the Gunners - at one point fans were even contemplating a quadruple; these dreams were soon dashed when they were knocked out of 3 cups in the space of a week, notably losing the Carling Cup final to Birmingham who were later relegated to the Championship.

I think we can all agree after that, 2010-2011 was another season to forget for the Gunners, another to add to the list as they still chase any silverware which they've been unable to achieve since their FA Cup victory of 2005.

Arsene Wenger is still a hero, (just about) down at the emirates and so far has done a few deals this transfer window; letting Gael Clichy go to Manchester City, whilst bringing in Gervinho from Lille. With the obvious rumours of players in and out (mainly out in this circumstance) with the likes of Fabregas, Nasri and Bendtner leaving the most notable rumours currently circulating.

In my opinion things are looking quite bleak for the Arsenal, for one of the 'big 4' in England i'd be expecting more success but, i posed the question to their own fans; what are your thoughts and aspirations ahead of 2011-2012 season?

@jonnyth14 - '4th if we're lucky'

I've got a real mix of thoughts ahead of the new season from information gathered from twitter gooners regarding their club, especially on the subject of where they'll finish. 2nd place from the optimists but 8th place from the pessimists; they have re-iterated my thoughts that arsenal are a club who are difficult to predict!

@MarkJDeakin - 'Arsenal will finish 8th....'

Some people just gave predictions leaving me to fill in the blanks of why they think that whilst some liked to fully explain their thoughts. @MarkJDeakin for example, believes Arsenal will finish 8th - i am sure many Arsenal fans will not be impressed with that prediction - reasoning due to the midfield becoming weaker as he is resigned to the fact they will be losing Fabregas & believes the new signings, although decent, are not good enough to compensate for the losses.

On the contrary, @TroyTheBoy20 had a lot to say and believes his club could even reach 2nd place. He explained how the club are 'not in free fall as all thats gone is Clichy and the rest is speculation' he then continued on the talk of transfers by explaining there is still 2 months of transfers to go so 'who knows who could come in' so is optimistic Wenger will choose to make some signings this summer. He also believes that Arsenal have the 'right foundations for silverware' and bringing in the right players they could reach 2nd. Good optimism about their club?

@Ashley_McKay - 'i think we'll finish top 4 without a doubt'

A detailed view i got was that of @Ashley_McKay, who expressed what he thinks ahead of next season for his Arsenal team. Ashley explained how he is part of what i feel may now be a small group that believe in the '"In Arsene we trust" philosophy'.

On the talk of transfers he expects 4 departures with 3 players minimum coming in; 'I would love to see Adam Johnson, Daniel Sturridge and Gary Cahill coming in' however he is a realist and recognised how this could be asking far too much considering the current price of English players - I personally believe it would be going against everything Arsenal stand for; 1 English player is pushing it for them.

One of those few English players currently in the Arsenal squad is Keiran Gibbs who with the departure of Gael Clichy looks like he is going to be given a chance by Wenger however not everyone is sure on this; @Ashley_McKay stated 'i dont think Gibbs is ready for the first team and he is so unreliable when it comes to fitness' so Clichy could be a bigger loss than fans first contemplated.

@am_walters - 'expecting us to finish 4/5th...'

The final thoughts i got were those of @am_walters and was the only one to even mention Europe and expectations there; he expects to go through the group stage but again, another person who thinks the midfield will lack bite which 'will inevitably lead to a shock home defeat' so not much positivity surrounding europe.
Like @MarkJDeakin, @am_walters has conceded that Arsenal will be losing Cesc Fabregas but also believes Nasri will follow him out the door, which further infuriates him as he believes that other clubs around them are 'spending big on established players' whilst Arsenal's focus is on their 'financial stability' - fans want success not saving to be stable!

I feel a good way to end is the final thought@am_waltersspoke about which in my opinion opitimises Arsenal FC; 'Wilshere & Ramsey will outshine most but it wont stop us losing away to stoke' with all the skilled players and young talent Arsenal just dont seem to have the whole team ability to win match like Stoke away!

So, by the looks of it most arsenal fans are not thinking they are realistic title contenders, but are hoping for improvement even if they arent too confident they will achieve it. Most are 'hoping' rather than 'believing'. From fans opinions ill give them a top 5 finish but it'll be a struggle & if they bring in couple of players they need 2nd at best with another silverware-less season im afraid..

I'd like to thank all the fans mentioned in this as i wouldnt have known enough about Arsenal to be able to do it with out them.